Abstract

To the Editor: In a recent issue of this journal, Kanada and colleagues (1) report a high incidence of cardiac ischemic manifestations after the use of diazoxide (Hyperstat® IV) for severe hypertension. They postulate that the rapid fall in blood pressure and resulting regional decrease in coronary blood flow in patients with obstructive coronary artery lesions was responsible.
A reflex tachycardia after drug administration may be important in some instances.
A 62-year-old white woman was normotensive 1 year before admission but became hypertensive during the year. She came to the emergency room having had headaches and vomiting for 3 days.